Cape Town - On Heritage Day, members of the public have been invited to participate in the Walk of Remembrance through Claremont and Newlands as well as the official launch of the Newlands and Claremont Heritage, Environmental Justice and Restitution Society (NCHERS).
The interfaith collaborative walk was initiated last year. Claremont Main Road Mosque Imam Rashied Omar said due to its success, this year’s walk was followed up with the formal establishment of the NCHERS, with the walk becoming an annual feature convened by the society.
“This interfaith dimension of NCHERS reflects the closely knit Claremont community before the Group Areas Act and is the unique and added value that NCHERS brings to existing heritage societies in Cape Town and elsewhere in South Africa,” Omar said.
The walk will commence at the St Saviour's Anglican Church in Claremont at 9am, followed by the launch of the NCHERS at the Claremont Civic Centre at 11am.
Areas covered will be Upper Claremont, Ardene Gardens, Claremont Civic Centre, and Lower Claremont.
“Walk of Remembrance will stop at one home along Main Road where people used to live before they were evicted under the Group Areas Act. Claremont Gardens holds great significance for the community of Claremont.
“Many couples took wedding photos in the Gardens. It also had great significance during pre-colonial times for Khoi and San communities,” Omar said.
St Saviour’s Anglican Church Reverend Chesnay Frantz said previous attendees found the walk to be meaningful and valued.
“We embark on this Walk of Remembrance at a very difficult time in our country, with all the challenges we are facing, and I think because this Walk of Remembrance is born out of an interfaith movement it is also a statement of faith amid the challenges.
“This walk is a symbol of hope – that if we look at rebuilding communities we can make a difference in our country,” Frantz said.
“This initiative is deeply rooted and grounded on the value of community and all that it offers hence the Claremont Main Road Mosque and St Saviour’s Anglican Church decided to partner and embark on this project. It carries some nostalgia but it ought to also be a call to action.”
shakirah.thebus@inl.co.za